Just wondered if anyone has had the virus yet and if so how severe the symptoms were. I was ill a couple of weeks ago with mild symptoms . No cough but headaches, aching muscles and slightly raised temperature. I was tested after a week or so but came back negative. The tests aren’t that reliable and although we have started antibody testing here, at the moment it has only been offered to selected families in a trial.
As we’re all on DMARDs of some kind I suppose most people have been isolating so they are unlikely to be exposed. I’m only on a fairly low dose of methotrexate now so I have been socially distancing and getting out for walks thankfully. Here we have been allowed out for 4 hours a day and this is due to increase shortly it seems, similarly to the UK.
Stay well
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I had a virus about a month ago headache wheezing runny nose but not high temperature,don’t know if it was Covid or not as wasn’t tested,still have breathing problems sometimes especially when I am tired xxx
I have only expounded this to my children as they witnessed it, and the informed and official timing of it may make me look alarmist or just plain daft!! 🤪. I’ve been shielding since March, and am furloughed from my, part time job in customer service within a store of a well known supermarket chain. They have been exemplary, caring & supportive.
Between September & December 2019, we experienced a large & unusual influx of young, sixth form Chinese students, enrolled in a local, private college. In early January I became ill 🤧. Not ‘seasonal flu’ ill 🤒 but really unwell, temperature 🤒 (103), aches, fatigue, ‘sea lion’ 🦁 barking dry cough and mor worryingly difficulty breathing! Symptoms persisted for about 3-4 days, but cough & breathing for around 3-4 weeks!! So there you have it, my barmy secret is out, judge me not 🧐. Like many more on this site, I take many meds including bio & heart so I’m immune suppressed. I guess that without adequate testing, tracing and antibody analysis we’ll just never know. Stay well, stay safe & big love to all. 😷
It sounds as if you might have had it as it was just starting in January. I’m sure it had nothing to with the Chinese students, as if they had unknowingly brought it with them I think we would have started seeing cases earlier don’t you?
Shame you can’t have the antibody test which would maybe show that you’ve had it and got some immunity.
It is beginning to transpire that actually, it may have been present in Europe, significantly earlier than thought. France recently declared their first case early December and the first case in Wuhan is now understood to have been the 17 November - and that’s what the Chinese government are telling us. I’m not convinced if the truth of the statement and suspect it might have been earlier still.
So it’s very difficult to know who may and may not have had it. In Britain we are looking at February, but as we get more information, it’s beginning to look like cases could possibly have been present long before
Same with my hubby, he was very sick december 2019 temp, cough etc , and has been under the weather with a cough since. I havent been unwell, so who knows. My friend is a senior respiratory nurse, she says it has been here since december ...
My eldest son and his family all had a serious bout of flu in December 2019!. My son has an annual flu jab because of damaged lung after it collapsed a few years ago. Their flu made them all really ill with very high temperature, cough and sore throat. It took ages for them to get better.
I too have heard from health professionals that they think it was here in December. Apparently (my sisters friend who works there told her) there were people in the local ICU very ill with an unknown illness in December. Also my Dad went to the GP a couple of weeks ago and asked him “Would you think I’m crazy if I said I think I had Corona Virus at the end of December?”. He described the symptoms he had had and the GP said it could well have been. He had been feeling generally unwell, had a nasty cough which hung around for ages and had to use his asthma inhaler a lot more than he has done for years.
It’s difficult to know without testing at the time, which wasn’t even thought of then. There was a nasty virus going around then. I had it and it lasted 3 weeks with symptoms coming and going. Doctor refused to give me antibiotics and said it would go away, and it did.
We are convinced my 93 year old grandmother had it in January. She was ill for weeks with same symptoms. Originally told it was bronchitis but when my dad was taken by ambulance to hospital a few weeks ago (fell off a ladder the numpty!) he was talking to the paramedic about it and they said they were sure covid was here in January if not before...
Like you, I’m sure I had it from before Christmas until after NY.
Our nearest big town has a lot of Chinese tourists over Christmas as well as students attending sixth form colleges and language schools, they use the transport system, shops cafes and restaurants- they are everywhere and I used public transport all the time back then.
It wasn’t flu because it did don’t come on suddenly. I could feel my chest getting worse as time went on. Worst headache I’ve ever had and constant for days. Fever and chills that actually made my teeth rattle, then the cough was relentless, I coughed for days until my ribs hurt, I slept round the clock, I lost weight because all I ate in that time was the odd half slice of dry toast and I only ever drank water.
I have asthma and when I checked my peak flow in the middle of it all because I was having real difficulty breathing I discovered it was way down at 200 - half my normal reading (I’m 71 year old female so a reading of 400 is ok for my age) I doubled up on my preventative inhaler morning and night - I couldn’t believe it - I used a whole inhaler in double quick time, I also used my blue inhaler (which I carry but have never needed to use) in between.
I also have a pulsemeter that you put on your finger and that tells you your pulse and how much oxygen is in your system so I used that and took deep breaths when it my oxygen level was low.
Oh and my eyes were absolutely agony. They felt as if they were on fire. I used all my normal dry eye stuff but this wasn’t normal dry eyes. They felt awful.
It took weeks for me to get over the total exhaustion of it all.
I discovered recently that taking big breaths and holding them was one of the physio exercises a friend of a friend had when she was in hospital with covid 19 - she felt the physiotherapy help she had saved her life - so it looks like breathing until my meter readings improved possibly helped me too.
I wonder if the fact that I already supplement with vitamin D - my vitamin D level is high - and I take hydroxychloroquine every day, plus I am normally quite fit and active helped me to recover at home.
I also have a friend who has four grown up kids who hasn’t had an illness in over twenty years and who is ultra fit was completely poleaxe around the same time.
My son who lives and works in London and travels from west to east in the tube every morning had already had something really nasty shortly before I was ill.
I gather it was doing the rounds from as early as October when French athletes attending the military games fell victim to a nasty illness. It was certainly in the country before January.
We think my daughter may have had it in early March , she lives in London and uses the tubes and trains..in fact we’re pretty certain she did, she was advised as she had not been to a affected country or been in contact with someone who had (how did she know 🤷🏻♀️) it was probably just a cold!!! She had a sore throat, cough and extreme fatigue but as we know with a virus it doesn’t always affect others the same, she finally was going to be tested but then they ran out. To be honest I think loads of people have already had it especially in London.
It definitely affects people in different ways. Our neighbours all had it, but their symptoms varied greatly. The wife/mum was really ill. It was scary seeing an ambulance pull up outside their house. Twice she was taken into hospital, although she was never admitted. The husband /dad was quite ill for about 24 hours but no where near as bad as his wife (and he has several underlying health conditions). They have two teenage lads. One was ill for a few days (a bit like flu - but not serious), the other had a high temperature for a couple of hours and a slight cough and that was it.
At the beginning February my 16 year old son had a “virus” he had A very high temperature 39-40 for about 14 days he shivers, aches and pain flushed face ( like Boris) his chest felt tight. Nothing could bring his temperature down visited the Doctor twice. Told it’s a virus. A week after my son started having these symptoms I had a cough. This cough was continuous . I could cough for 30mins straight. It was a dry cough chest was heavy I kept going to the doctor in the end they gave me 2 lots of antibiotics but the cough continued for 4 week. Did either of us have Covid?... we will never know
Thanks for that....it’s so annoying that firstly we don’t know if that was it, or that if it was, it’s given you both immunity at least for a while, what a awful virus it is. It’s just an unknown as we don’t know how badly we’ll be affected.
I'm prety sure I had it, my GP thought it probably was - but without testing, I guess I can't say for sure.
I had it at the start of April: one day of feeling flu-ish/sweaty, exhausted, then felt okay for a day, then started getting a tight chest which rapidly went downhill to the point where I was gasping for breath, pretty scary. GP bravely checked me out and as my oxygen was okay and no temperature or pneumonia sounds, I wouldn't have been admitted to hospital. Took me maybe two weeks to get back to almost normal from being breathless and exhausted. I felt better for a week or so but have now had the breathlessness come back, although not as bad. GP said this seems to be common - relapses, that is - for 8 weeks or more. Anyhow, I'm alive and not in hospital so I am not complaining!
Good to hear you’re on the mend without anything becoming more serious. Take care and rest up . Seems the body can take a while to recover from this with ups and downs .
Hi, I am going to say I think I got it in October after a holiday to Spain. I woke up the day after I came home and when I tried to get out of bed I was dizzy and staggering all over the place. Managed to get to GP who diagnosed Labrythnitis. After about 4 days the dizziness eased. Then I began to cough, had a temperature. Cough was dry and hacking. Went back to GP thinking I had a chest infection as couldn't breathe. Was sent for xray but chest was clear. Cough lasted another few weeks. Actually was so exhausted by this infection I decided to take flexi retirement. I had already had my flu jab. Like others I am looking forward to getting the antibody test.
As well as all the above - see my earlier post, it goes on a bit - I’ve just realised I had labyinthitis as well.
The GP I saw offered to do the eply manoeuvre to sort it out but I had a broken wrist - I only got out of bed the Sunday after New Year then broke my wrist when I rolled off the bed - on the following Wednesday. The doctor wanted to wait until my plaster came off before he did it and then we went into lockdown so dizziness looks like another symptom.
My son may have had it in mid-February. He is rarely ill and asked me to pick him up from work and take him home. His symptoms were aching muscles, neck ache, high temp. (taken by ANP at Surgery), tight chest, difficulty breathing. ANP prescribed antibiotics. If only there was a reliable antibody test ....
I pray not to get this vile virus or anyone else for that matter. My nephew caught it, he thinks from his daughter’s nursery. He was sent home four times by the hospital after not be able to breathe and heart pain, diagnosis from the hospital ’anxiety’!!! So many times he begged it wasn't anxiety the hospital insisted it was and he was sent home again and again as safer home than hospital he was told.
Went to see a private Dr in Harley street as that’s how severe things were - he was diagnosed with heart damage ’myocarditis’ due to Covid-19. It is a daily battle with breathing and heart pain, and he has lost weight also.
It is absolute agony and stressful to witness as not allowed near him - and he is still not out of the woods sadly.
Please all look after yourself and do follow the government guidelines - as right now, I don't think anyone has a real answer. Stay safe, stay well, Hessie.
So sorry to hear about your nephew, what an awful situation. I hope he makes a full recovery and isn’t left with any health problems. Such a difficult thing to deal with as people have such a varied response.
My housemate and I were ill with a cough, fatigue etc in mid-Jan. He got it first and was ill for a week or so - finding it really hard to shake off. Several friends etc were ill at the same time with similar symptoms.
Unusually I clearly caught it from him and was ill for a week - not too bad but the cough dragged on. We don’t usually catch it others germs so that definitely made me wonder.......
I have been very unwell since 8th March. Started with high temp, aching body, terrible stuffy headache, glandular pains, a series of asthma attacks, severe fatigue, intermittent nausea, breathing problems, hypoxia, pains in liver and kidneys, chest pains, pneumonia and finally a clot on the lung. I have had a terrible time with 4 trips to hospital, 4 doses of steroids, 3 doses of strong antibiotics and am now on anticoagulants as well as all my normal medication. It has been scary and hard to deal with. There is a strong chance that I have lung damage. I have been advised that it will take me months get back to my ‘normal’. Have I had the virus? The Drs all say so. Have I been tested? I was tested on 22nd April but as predicted the test came back negative because it was so long since I first started Feeling ill. Had testing been available at the outset to all showing symptoms the result may have been different. I was only tested on 22nd April because both my son and daughter had recently been ill. They were only testing hospital admissions and the Drs were scared to admit me in case either I didn’t have the virus or I did but could catch something else. One Dr said, “ make her safe and get her out of here, I can’t have a severe asthmatic with RA in this hospital it is too dangerous for her” . I was merely put on a drip and given oxygen for a few hours and then sent home. I was told that they wouldn’t normally send someone home with such low oxygen readings but it was too dangerous for me to stay. I will have to wait for the antibody test for confirmation. I met a number of other people at hospital who had had similar experiences. Blood clots are another problem that are becoming mor apparent with the virus. I met two ladies who had also had clots in the lungs. Be very careful I say. I was told by one consultant that the hydroxychloroquine that I take as part of my treatment regime may have made my lungs less sticky for the virus. I did not avoid pneumonia though. I believe that I have been lucky. I am still here! Take very good care. It is no fun!!!!
Hi Pippin. I’m so sorry you have had such a rough time. It must have been Covid with all those symptoms... I think you’re right people seem to be very infectious at the beginning but still feel very ill a bit later even when the test is negative. A young doctor friend who also has RA had the virus. He was quite ill for a week, then was tested negative. As they wanted him to go front line he had an antibody test which confirmed his own diagnosis.
I hope you’re beginning to pick up now after being so poorly.
I work in a primary school and the three members of staff in our classroom were poorly just after Christmas. We all had a terrible cough which seemed to go on forever! We went from hot & cold to sweating (in winter months!), sore throat, thumping headaches & aching all over. We all felt the same, yet we carried on at work. This lasted for over a month. It wasn't until Covid-19 became prominent, that we thought... did we have Covid-19? Who knows.
Me and my husband 'might' have had it early March. I dont have a thermometer so I dont know if I had a temperature but I was hot, even my hands were warm and I'm never ever warm. I had one day where I couldn't drag myself out of bed. We both lost are sense of taste and had a cough.
Thing is we couldnt get tested. My husband got it off someone at work. He was sure it was just a bug and continued working because he was on agency!
It would be nice to know. I'd like to think I've had it so I can be less worried. But I suspect not. I was ill but not incredibly ill.
The sooner these anti body tests come in the better.
Hi I’m fairly sure I had it in November. It started with the worst sore throat ever & then I had trouble breathing & a very dry cough also felt very unwell. I went to my GP but he couldn’t here much on my chest & thought it was a virus. A week later I was worse so went again & this time he checked my temp which was 38 so he gave me antibiotics but still thought it viral. The following week I was even worse & the cough was almost nonstop & again saw my GP who still said it’s a virus try Vit C. 2 days later I went to A & E as I felt so ill I thought I might die. I was admitted with a severe infection but unknown exactly where so was given several different antibiotics IV so that at least one would work. I said surly it’s a chest infection they agreed but said it’s not quite what we would expect. 2 days after admission the consultant said it’s a type of Pneumonia but you have a lot of lung inflammation & high CRP. I was 5 days in hospital then allowed home but was unwell with the cough & breathing still. I was admitted again 4 weeks later with further chest infection in December. I coughed till March which was when I started to feel better. Typically as I’m now shielding but had been stuck in the house since November.
My husband went down with a lesser but similar virus after me followed by our daughter.
It’s more the fact that they couldn’t initially pinpoint the infection but knew I had one by blood tests which needed treatment. It was all a bit odd. The hospital consultant rang me a few weeks after discharge to see how I was & to get a repeat X Ray & I asked her again was it a chest infection as that’s what my discharge letter said she said again it was Pneumonia.
Anyway I doubt we will ever know for sure & this is a bit earlier than most but some are saying it was around in November. X
I’m on MTX and long term pred. At the start of March, I was treated by a paramedic who later tested positive. I developed a high fever around 10 days later. 3 weeks later, I was still having constant high fevers and I was suddenly got more unwell. I had a bad cough and was very breathless. I was sent to A&E and they kept me there for a night on oxygen but as I wasn’t admitted, didn’t test me. The dr said I sounded like I had covid19 from just listening to my lungs.
I’m torn because it seems unlikely that I’d have rapidly gotten unwell 3 weeks after my first symptom but not impossible. Then again, I am prone to pneumonia and this was the worst I have ever felt. I’ve never experienced the burning lungs sensation. Whatever it was, my lungs hated it and have yet to fully recover.
Sorry to hear you had such a bad time, especially as you still don’t know for certain that you’ve had it! Sounds like it though doesn’t it, I hope you’re improving albeit slowly. Best wishes and hugs
Possible interesting additional symptom. I work in a primary school and had a number of children return from skiing in Italy after Feb half term. Just before schools shut, I was struck down with a ‘dramatic’ upset tummy. I took myself to bed for 2 days, very hot and cold (but no thermometer) and body aches (knee caps aching whilst lying still). 2 days later I was up and about and feeling fairly normal. Now back at school with key workers children, but our chair of governors who is a GP has said that women in particular seem to be reporting diarrhoea as a symptom....
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